August 27, 2015 – Florida State University says one of its engineering professors has developed a new highly efficient and low-cost light emitting diode that could help spur more widespread adoption of the technology.

The research is crucial to the development of LED [lighting] technology, insists the university, which is already sold in stores, but “widespread adoption has been slow because of the costs associated with the material and the quality”.

“It can potentially revolutionize lighting technology,” said Zhibin Yu, assistant professor of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering. “In general, the cost of LED lighting has been a big concern thus far. Energy savings have not balanced out high costs. This could change that.”

Yu developed this new LED technology using a combination of organic and inorganic materials; they can dissolve and can be applied like paint, then shine a blue, green or red light and be used to make a light bulb.

But what makes the technology really special, says the university, is that it’s far simpler to manufacture than existing products on the market; most LED materials require engineers to put four or five layers of material on top of each other to create the desired product or effect. Yu’s material only requires one layer.